EdCal EdCal v49.27 5/6/19 | Page 2

2 EDCAL May 6, 2019 AAPI Continued from page 1 to be promoted to a management role — less likely than any other race, including African-Americans and Hispanics. While stereotypes about the AAPI community, such as being quiet, respectful of authority, and technically competent, tend to appear positive on the surface, these categorizations can have a negative impact if they are misunderstood to mean that Asians are meek, submissive, just worker bees, and therefore lacking the skills required to be a successful leader. “One of the greatest challenges for the AAPI community is the pervasive yet silent assumption that effective leadership is defined in a way that often precludes the styles that AAPI leaders hold,” said Victor Tam, principal of Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School at San Francisco USD. “Successful leadership incorporates all different styles. To provide true equity in education, the ranks of educational leaders need to reflect the cultural diversity found in our student population.” Asian American and Pacific Islanders are often left out of conversations when we talk about equity and the glass ceiling, or in this case the “bamboo ceiling.” The term “bamboo ceiling” was first used at ACSA by ABC USD Superintendent Mary Sieu during her 2018 talk at the Leadership Summit Women’s Breakfast. “I wanted to focus on the cultural issues that may inhibit AAPIs from moving for- ward in various leadership roles,” Sieu said. “Many people may not have heard of the term ‘bamboo ceiling’ before, and it was a means for me to integrate the challenges we face and means to overcome them.” The Pew Research Center says AAPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. Despite their largely immigrant status, data show that Asians tend to be better educated than other ethnicities. Asians overall are twice as likely to have a college degree than the average American. Furthermore, statistics also say AAPI households are more likely to surpass the U.S. median household income. “For these reasons, even though data shows that 74 percent of AAPIs are born abroad (including myself ), Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders are not con- sidered underrepresented minorities and, therefore, are given little priority when it comes to diversity and equity programs,” said Senior Director of ACSA Member Services Margarita Cuizon-Armelino, whose department currently oversees and funds equity networking events. ACSA’s Asian American and Pacific Islander equity network held a meeting recently in San Francisco. “One of the greatest challenges for the AAPI community is the pervasive yet silent assumption that effective leadership is defined in a way that often precludes the styles that AAPI leaders hold.” Victor Tam Principal, Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School, San Francisco USD That is not the case at ACSA, where all subgroups are provided a voice and a sup- portive platform to have discussions around their unique issues. “This event was rewarding on so many levels,” Tam said. “Some points include the ability to network with AAPI leaders from outside my own district, learning from their experiences, and being inspired by their stories of overcoming challenge.” Assistant Principal of Roosevelt Middle School Krishna Kassebaum, whose roots on his mother’s side are from India, also added that hearing from fellow AAPI leaders from neighboring districts and counties was exhilarating because they provided another voice to this conversation about our own identities and how important and impactful they are in the work school lead- ers do. “I felt that I belonged to this communi- ty of educational leaders, and through this event, I was able to connect,” Kassebaum said. “That feeling of connectedness is the power of having a common experience. I really appreciated this event because it enabled all of us to learn and share with one another in a meaningful and safe space.” Those stories of inspiration and com- mon experiences came from several AAPI school leaders who managed to break through the “bamboo ceiling,” including Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Diann Kitamura, who believes that we should own our stories and allow our uniqueness to help us lead. “Understand and be proud of your identity,” said Kitamura. “It is the cultural wealth you bring to all that you do, and will actually set you apart from others in a positive way when you create your own narrative about who you are and what you stand for on behalf of students.” Partnerships with other organizations are important and should be intentional. ACSA often brings in like-minded organi- zations to broaden the network of support and expand the knowledge base. “The formation of these types of net- works and affinity groups allows for a deeper level of discussions which is highly relevant and can provide for more focused advocacy, professional development and strategic support, which can be shared and applied in the real work of leaders,” said Darlene Lim, former SFUSD administra- tor and AAAA representative. Ultimately, ACSA hopes to continue bringing recognition and understanding to the different cultural values found within our membership and the students they serve and to provide opportunities to learn how to balance all of it with the expecta- tions of different leadership positions. For more information about ACSA’s Equity work, visit www.acsa.org/equity. Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators EdCal® (USPS 684-390, ISSN 0740-0357) is published Weekly, except for the following dates in 2018-19: 7/2, 7/9, 7/23, 8/6, 8/20, 9/10, 9/24, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/26, 12/10, 12/17, 12/24, 12/31, 1/7, 2/18, 4/8, 5/13, and 6/3, by the Association of California School Administrators, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. Periodical postage paid at Bur­ lingame, CA 94010 and additional offices. Subscription price: $90 value to members; offered to non-members on a qualifying basis. For further information, contact the membership depart- ment at (650) 692-4300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EdCal, c/o ACSA, 1575 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010. EdCal keeps ACSA members informed of association activities, efforts on their behalf and issues pertinent to education and educa- tion administration. Ad­vertising or the mention of products, services or programs in EdCal does not imply endorsement by ACSA. ACSA is affiliated with the National Asso­ ciation of School Superintendents, Nation­ al Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of Elem­ entary School Principals, American Associa­ tion of School Person­nel Admin­istrators, California Associa­ tion of Latino Superintendents and Adminis­ trators, Ca­lifornia Associa­­tion of Education Office Pro­fes­sionals and the American Associa­ tion for Adult and Continuing Education. Editorial Offices: 1029 J St., Suite 500, Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 444-3216 • Job ads: e-mail [email protected] • News: e-mail [email protected] ACSA Executive Director Wesley Smith Senior Director of Communications/PIO Naj Alikhan Chief Operations Officer Scarlett Vanyi; Senior Director of Member Services Margarita Cuizon; Chief Marketing Officer Tatia Davenport; Senior Director of Educational Services Margaret Arthofer; Senior Directors of Governmental Relations Edgar Zazueta and Adonai Mack; Senior Director of Information Technology Tony Baldwin; Senior Director of Equity and Diversity Marguerite Williams; Senior Director of Financial Services Erin Grogan This series introduces ACSA staff to members. These are the people working tirelessly for you each and every day. EdCal Editor Michelle Carl Advertising/Website Coordinator Emily Agpoon Content Specialists Michael Kelly and Darcy Totten ACSA CareerConnect Coordinator Tracy Olmedo ACSA Board of Directors President Holly Edds President-elect Linda Kaminski Vice President Ron Williams VP for Legislative Action Terri Rufert Past President Lisa Gonzales Members: Charlie Hoffman, Christine McCormick, Daniel Hernandez, Tim Gill, Jay Spaulding, Parvin Ahmadi, Denise Wickham, Juan Cruz, Ana Boyenga, Barbara Martinez, Blanca Cavazos, Ted Alejandre, Craig Helmstedter, Victor Thompson, Sue Kaiser, Angel Barrett, Rafael Plascencia, Joe Austin, Mike McCormick, Linda Hutcherson, Lisa Ketchum, Daryl Camp, Derrick Chau Burlingame, (650) 692-4300 • Sacramento, (916) 444-3216 • Ontario, (909) 484-7503 • toll-free (800) 608-ACSA Who: Max McGrath Job: Senior A/P Clerk Max helps handle all payments for the association. Favorite food: Max finds it impossible to live without dim sum pork buns. ACSA. We work for you.